Hi Heather,

In terms of the garage selling the car, check to see if they are registered with SIMI. It's not a guarantee of anything, but it's a good sign. Other than that try to find reviews of the garage online through Google etc. You're more likely to find negative reviews as people don't tend to post positive reviews as often, but it may give you some extra information. You could also check up on the business using the Companies Registration Office.

You can check the history of a Japanese import at carvx.jp